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Topics marked with * relate to HQ Enterprise-only features.

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This document is a guide to installing and configuring HQ components for evaluation. It provides instructions for installing the HQ Server and an HQ Agent on the same host, using HQ's built-in database.

Note: For comprehensive installation and configuration information, see HQ Installation Guide.

Verify System Requirements

Make sure that the system upon which you are going to install the HQ components meets the system requirements for the HQ Server and the HQ Agent. System requirements are listed on the Installation Requirements page.

Select and Download a Package

A summary of the various HQ installation packages is provided on the Choose and Download an Installation Package.

Choose a "full" installer. The instructions below assume you are using tarball or ZIP package.

Installing the Agent and Server from a Tarball or Zip Archive

This section has instructions for installing HQ components using the full installer.

About the Setup Script

The setup script, setup.exe for Windows or setup.sh for non-Windows, is in the HQ installation package. You can use to install the HQ Server, the HQ Agent, or both.

When you run the setup script, you can supply an argument that sets the installation mode.

Mode Argument Associated Installation "Mode"
none Quick install; the HQ components you choose to install will be installed with default settings for most configuration options---you supply installation directories only. If you install the server, it will be configured to use its built-in PostgreSQL database.
This is the quickest and easiest way to install HQ.
-full Full install; installer will prompt you to supply values for all installation options.
-upgrade Server upgrade only; installer will prompt you for the path of the HQ server to upgrade.
Upgrade to the HQ 4.0 server is supported from versions 3.x. For information on the upgrade process, see Upgrade HQ Components
-postgresql Quick install when using a standalone (not the HQ built-in) PostgreSQL database; installer will prompt you for database connection information and use defaults for other configuration settings.
-oracle Quick install mode for Oracle; installer will prompt you for database connection information and use defaults for other configuration settings.
-mysql Quick install mode for MySQL; installer will prompt you for database connection information and take defaults for everything else.

Run the Setup Procedure

Unpack the installation package if you have not already done so. These steps below are for an installation run in -full mode. This section describes the dialog that the installation script presents if you run it in -full mode. Depending on the installation mode you select, some of the prompts described below will not appear.

Install from local drive in Windows environments
If you are installing Hyperic components on a Windows platform, you must run the installer on a local drive.

1.  Create a directory for HQ.

The installation dialog assumes your HQ installation directory is:

2. Unpack the tarball or zip archive.

Unpack Tarballs with GNU Tar Only
Use GNU Tar to unpacking HQ tarballs. Use of proprietary Unix Tar utilities will result in warnings. GNU Tar is available at http://www.gnu.org

3. Open a command shell.

Opening Windows Command Shell
On Windows, if you open your command shell from the Start menu, you must run as "Administrator", like this:
  1. Start button - All Programs - Accessories.
  2. Right click "Command Prompt".
  3. Select "Run as".
  4. Choose "Administrator" option.

On Unix-based platforms, enter:

On Windows platforms, enter:

where mode is one of the values in the table above.

Installation Prompt Notes
Choose which software to install
1: Hyperic HQ Server
2: Hyperic HQ Agent
To install both the server and the agent, enter:
1,2
HQ server installation path [default '/home/hyperic']: Accept the default, or enter a directory location. You must have write access the the location.

What port should the HQ server's web-based GUI listen on for http communication? [ICG:default '7080']:
 
What port should the HQ server's web-based GUI listen on for secure https communication? [default '7443']  
What port should the HQ server use for the jnp service? [default '2099']:  
What port should the HQ server use for the mbean server? [default '9093']:  
Enter the base URL for the HQ server's web-based GUI [default...]
The URL used to access the HQ Server. This value is used in alert notification emails. This value can be changed on the HQ Server Administration page in the HQ Portal.
SMTP server information [default 'localhost] The installer will look for an SMTP server running on the localhost. If it finds one, this question is skipped.

If no SMTP server is found, it will ask you to specify one that it can use to send outbound alert-notification emails. In this case, if you do not specify an SMTP server, alert notifications will not be sent. Alert functionality is still enabled.

Note: If you use an external SMTP server, after completing the HQ Server installation, perform the steps in Configuring HQ Server for SMTP Server.
Enter the email address that HQ will use as the sender for email messages [default...] The email address of the HQ Administrator. Note that most mail servers will not deliver mail without a valid domain name in the From field.
What backend database should the HQ server use? [default '1']:
Choices:
1: HQ Built-in Database
2: Oracle 9i/10g
3: Oracle 11i
4: PostgreSQL
5: MySQL 5.x
 
If in the previous step, you chose the HQ Built-in Database, this prompt appears:

What port should HQ's built-in database use? [default '9432']:



If instead you selected an external database, these prompts appear:
  • Enter the JDBC connection URL. The prompt supplies a default URL, which assumes the external database is on local host.
  • Enter the username to use to connect to the database:
  • Enter the password to use to connect to the database:
Supply:
  • a URL in the form shown, editing as appropriate to identify the connection details, such as host and name.
  • the database username that was set up when the HQ database was created.
  • the database password that was set up when the HQ database was created.
What should the username be for the initial admin user? [ default 'hqadmin']:  
What should the password be for the initial admin user?: The installer will not echo the password but will prompt for it twice so it can be verified.
*What should the email address be for the initial admin user? [default...]  
HQ agent installation path [:default '/applications/hyperic']:  

The installer indicates the installation was successful, provides the URL for the HQ Portal along with the default username and password, and returns you to the command prompt.

Review Post-Installation Tips

See What to Do After Installing the HQ Server and HQ Agent for a brief list of useful tips.

Start the HQ Server

On Unix-Based Platforms:

Start the server with this command:

The script will display some startup information on stdout, then it will detach and run in the background.

The URL that HQ is configured to listen on will display startup progress information until it is completely started. Then it will redirect to the login page.

The server.log file in the logs directory under the server installation directory will have detailed startup information.

On Windows:

The first time you start up the server after installation, use this command to start it as a Windows Service:

<Server Installation directory>\bin\hq-server.exe -i

Henceforth, use the Windows Service control panel to start and stop the server.

Open the HQ Portal

Point your browser to http://localhost:7080/

Log on, using hqadmin as your username and password.

Startup and Configure the HQ Agent

This section has information about how to start and configure an HQ agent after installation.

These are instructions for supplying agent configuration settings the first time you start the agent.

1. Make sure that the HQ Server to which the Agent will connect is running.

2.  Start the agent from the command line under your user account.

On Windows, install the HQ Agent service, and then start it with these commands:

On Unix-based platforms, assuming you have already installed, or unpacked the agent into its installation directory, enter:

3.  When the HQ Agent starts for the first time, it issues the prompts that follow so that it can establish communications with the HQ Server.

Prompt Notes
Should Agent communications to HQ be unidirectional [default=no] This prompt only appears if you are installing HQ Enterprise. To understand this option, see Configure Unidirectional Agent - Server Communication
What is the HQ server IP address Enter the listen address of your HQ Server. The server must be running. If the server is on the same machine as the agent, you can enter localhost.
If there is a firewall blocking traffic from the agent to the server, specify the address of the firewall.
Should Agent communications to HQ always be secure [default=no]. If you want agent and server to communicate via SSL, enter yes. Otherwise, enter Return to accept the default - which is plain HTTP communications.
What is the HQ server port [default=7080] This prompt appears if you accepted the default for the previous prompt. If your HQ Server is configured to listen on the default port of 7080, press Return. 
If there is a firewall blocking traffic from the agent to the server, configure it to forward traffic on TCP port 7080 (or 7443) to the host running the HQ Server.
What is the secure HQ server port [default=7443] This prompt only appears if you answered yes to "Should Agent communications to HQ always be secure" prompt. If your HQ Server is configured to listen for SSL communications on the default port of 7443, press Return.
What is your HQ login [default=hqadmin]: By default, the HQ server is initially configured with an administrative account with username hqadmin. Unless you have configured a different HQ user account for agent-server communications, accept the default.
What is your HQ password Enter the password for the username you supplied at the previous prompt. If you accepted the default admin user password when installing the HQ server, the password is hqadmin.
What IP should HQ use to contact the agent [default=n.n.n.n] The prompt will show default that is the IP address the agent detected on the host. If there is another IP address on the host you prefer to use, enter it.
If there is a firewall blocking traffic from the server to the agent, enter the IP address of the firewall, and configure the firewall to forward traffic intended for the HQ Agent to the listen address of the agent host.
What port should HQ use to contact the agent [default=2144] Enter the agent port the HQ Server should use when it initiates contact with the agent. The value you supply to this prompt should be the port that the agent binds to at startup, which by default is 2144.

Note: If your have previously edited agent.properties to explicitly define a different listen port, using the optional agent.listenPort property, that is the value you should supply to this prompt.

If there is a firewall blocking traffic from the server to the agent, configure the device to forward traffic on TCP port 2144 to the HQ Agent.

Messages similar to the following are displayed upon successful startup of an agent.

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  1. Mar 26, 2009

    Anonymous

    Wow, if we followed the directions and had this up and running in under an hour collecting stats. Thanks again, Hyperic Team, you rock!

  2. Aug 30, 2010

    Guess you were lucky to get it up and running that fast.

    Server installation with the windows installer is smooth, I have to agree.

    Agent installation with the windows installer is completely broken (select only agent for installation, no server). Most of the necessary files are missing after installation.

    On to the zip then, which you can get to work at least. However all is not well. The agent is starting up, but 'Unable to send autoinventory platform data to server', because 'provider not yet setup'.
    Bonkers, communication between the 2 machines is fine (can open the dashboard from the agent machine) and the local agent doesn't have any issues, but not so for the remote hq-agent.
    More detective work to do, unless this rings a bell with some of you guys!

  3. Aug 30, 2010

    Hi Johan, Sorry you are having problems.

    Johan, Sorry you were having trouble. If there is a problem with the windows installer, QA will need do know what version of the software you installed, and what files you believe are missing.

    Regarding the issue with "remote provider" error, I suspect you have the same problem as is described and resolved in this forum post.

    http://forums.hyperic.com/jiveforums/message.jspa?messageID=31721#31721

    BTW - the forum is the best way to communicate with if you encounter what seems to be a product defect. Also, that is a great source of how-to info. And of course, we appreciate comments on the wiki when you can't find information you need.

    Regards

    http://forums.hyperic.com/jiveforums/message.jspa?messageID=31721#31721

  4. Aug 30, 2010

    I reinstalled from the zip installer and got the agent working that way.

    Regarding the missing files, the directory structure is there, but under agent-4.4.0-EE it was pretty much empty. Only the agent.properties in the conf dir, and for example no jre subfolder.